Any time a major client leaves an agency, it\u2019s big news, but this latest chapter in the \u201cCall Her Daddy\u201d and Unwell saga is especially complicated. News of Cooper\u2019s departure emerged after Unwell hit a $500 million valuation thanks to an investment from WTSL,<\/strong> the firm from WME co-founder Patrick Whitesell. Cooper\u2019s departure also comes while Unwell is in the midst of a series of toxic workplace allegations<\/a><\/strong> and Cooper is publicly feuding with fellow creator and former Unwell talent Alix Earle.<\/strong> It\u2019s a lot, especially since Cooper and Earle seem hellbent on making snarky comments rather than explaining their beef. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So today I\u2019m running the uninitiated through what we know, what we suspect and what could happen next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It all goes back to 2018 when Cooper started \u201cCall Her Daddy\u201d alongside co-host Sofia Franklyn.<\/strong> The original iteration of the podcast was owned and distributed by Barstool Sports, which is how owner Dave Portnoy is connected<\/strong> to this story. Following a disagreement about compensation and IP rights<\/a> (Cooper reportedly wanted to take Barstool\u2019s deal of $500,000 for one year before walking away with the \u201cCall Her Daddy\u201d IP; Franklyn thought that was too low), Franklyn left the podcast.<\/strong> Cooper then started hosting the podcast alone in 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Portnoy brought the Barstool era of “Call Her Daddy” back into public light earlier this month after his memoir claimed Cooper and Franklyn planned to get out of their contract by claiming they experienced sexual harassment. Cooper pushed back<\/a> on that allegation during a CNBC interview, saying, “Dave\u2019s got his version, I\u2019ve got my version, and we\u2019re all good.”<\/p>\n\n\n As \u201cCall Her Daddy\u201d grew, Cooper set her sights on building a media empire for young women, which led to the creation of Unwell Network in 2023. <\/strong>Enter rising star Alix Earle. That year, Earle signed with Unwell for her first podcast, \u201cHot Mess.\u201d That one-two punch of buzzy podcasts helped Unwell sign a $125 million deal with Sirius XM in 2024.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n But roughly a year after that deal was signed, Earle walked away from Unwell<\/strong> with the IP rights to \u201cHot Mess.\u201d This is where things get murky<\/a>, as neither Cooper nor Earle have explicitly explained their fallout even though Earle isn\u2019t under an NDA. It\u2019s widely believed \u2014 and Portnoy has speculated<\/a> \u2014 that their divide came down to contract disputes.<\/strong> Earle has since said that the feud is \u201cexaggerated,\u201d<\/a> and Cooper called out Earle for creating \u201cfake drama.\u201d<\/a> Both Portnoy and Earle are UTA clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That brings us to this summer, which started with a Vanity Fair report<\/a> accusing Unwell of cultivating a hostile work environment.<\/strong> Cooper\u2019s husband as well as Unwell co-founder and co-CEO Matt Kaplan was called out in particular<\/strong> for calling employees \u201cstupid\u201d and threatening to ruin their careers. About two months after the Vanity Fair article, WTSL\u2019s investment launched Unwell to its half a billion dollar valuation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cooper is now meeting with several agencies<\/a><\/strong> as she determines her next move. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It seems as though Unwell\u2019s next chapter is going to involve a lot more production and more investments into the company\u2019s growing creative agency.<\/strong> In addition to Netflix\u2019s \u201cLet\u2019s Marry Harry,\u201d Cooper is producing adaptations for \u201cDeep End\u201d and \u201cIcebreaker\u201d for the streamer and will be releasing \u201cUnwell Winter Games\u201d later this year. As for the creative agency side, that division of Unwell is on track to rival the company\u2019s podcasting business by the end of 2027 and counts Google among its clients. But Cooper isn\u2019t safe from headlines just yet. Franklyn\u2019s memoir \u201cDaddy Issues\u201d is slated for a November release, <\/strong>and she\u2019s made it known that she will be addressing her fallout with Cooper<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now onto the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kayla Cobb<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senior Reporter![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2276122370.jpg?width=300&height=169&fit=bounds\")
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kayla.cobb@thewrap.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n